Attendance
Bedford Academy believes that to facilitate teaching and learning, good attendance is essential. Students cannot achieve their full potential if they do not regularly attend school. We understand that barriers to attendance are complex, and that some students may find it harder than others to attend school; therefore, we will continue to prioritise cultivating a safe and supportive environment, as well as strong and trusting relationships with students and parents.
We take a whole-school approach to securing good attendance and recognise the impact that our efforts in other areas – such as the curriculum, behaviour standards, bullying, SEND support, pastoral support, and the effective use of resources such as pupil premium – can have on improving student attendance.
Attendance stats at a glance:
90% attendance = ½ a day a week missed
90% attendance = 4 weeks missed every year
90% attendance = ½ a school year missed every 5 years.
For every 17 missed days a year = on average a student will drop 1 GCSE grade achievement; this could be the difference between a 5?and a 4?grade in Maths or English.
Parent/Carer Responsibility
If your son/daughter is going to be absent please contact the Academy before 8.45am on 01234 301500 pressing 2 for the answer machine or email [email protected], to advise us of the reason for absence. You are expected to call in daily. Your child should only be absent from school for genuine illness.
We have a clear contact escalation system for student absences. As a parent you will receive a phone call daily from your child’s pastoral team. On day 4/5 a home visit will be carried out.
Wherever possible, please make routine appointments outside of Academy hours.
Absences during term time will not be authorised and a Penalty Notice may be issued. Please refer to Bedford Borough Council for associated costs. Penalty Notices for non-attendance at school | Bedford Borough Council
Talk to your son/daughter about the Academy and how they feel about it. They are more likely to attend and enjoy it if they feel supported and listened to.
What to do if there is a problem with your child’s attendance?
- Talk calmly to your son/daughter and listen to the explanation. Contact their Tutor, Assistant Head of Year or Head of Year to address the reason for their non-attendance.
- Your son/daughter’s welfare is important to us. We can help you resolve issues and can offer support for you and your child. You are not alone.
- Be supportive to your child in the run up to exams and be aware of coursework deadlines.
- Help your child catch up with missed work. A missed day should not mean missed work.?
Punctuality
The Academy expects all students to arrive punctually and be ready to commence learning at 8.40am each day. The doors to the Academy are opened at 8.30am each day and any student who arrives after 8.40am will be recorded as late.
If a student is late to school, without an authorised reason, they will receive a same day 30-minute detention. You will be notified via the MCAS App.
If a student arrived to school after our morning registers have closed at 9.10am, they will receive a mark that shows them to be on site ‘U’, but this will not count as a present mark, and it will mean that they have an unauthorised absence for the morning session.
Students must arrive to lessons within 5 minutes. Lateness disrupts the flow of a lesson, the learning of the student and that of other students; punctuality is a life skill and one that is always requested in future employer references.
If a student is late to lessons, the member of staff will record the number of minutes late on BROMCOM and at the end of every week every lateness to lesson is added together. The student will then sit a detention for those number of minutes.
The HEART Academies Trust Attendance policy can be found here.
